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Dr. Julian Z. Schuster Biography

Provost, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Julian Z. Schuster is Webster
University’s chief academic and chief operating officer. An internationally educated
economist with more than 15 years of experience building and leading higher education
institutions, Dr. Schuster has promoted strategic investment in global academic excellence,
pioneered international alliances and stewarded resources for new locations, and academic
and administrative initiatives.

As chief academic officer, Dr. Schuster provides leadership and strategic direction
for the university’s academic mission. Since his arrival at Webster in 2010, he has
championed and resourced initiatives to promote global academic excellence. He has
focused on increasing the number of full-time faculty members and increasing funding
for faculty research. Under his leadership, scholarly and artistic accomplishments
of faculty members have increased significantly, and the first Endowed Professorship
in the institution’s history has been appointed. He launched Webster’s first comprehensive
academic program review and prioritization process, which is leading to the development
of new academic units, increased STEM-related programs, and a renewed focus on the
institution’s unique ability to provide international experiences. He is credited
for bringing the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence to Webster University.
Webster now boasts the No. 1 Collegiate Chess team in the U.S.

Dr. Schuster collaborated with faculty to adopt the Global Citizenship Program, a
new general education program and a major component of Webster's initiative to set
a distinct standard for global education. In addition, he has championed a deans’
initiative to increase global content in all academic programs offered across the
Webster University network, working to significantly enhance Webster’s global reputation.

As chief operating officer, Dr. Schuster oversees units and activities that support
the educational endeavors of the university, including finance and administration,
information technology, enrollment management and student affairs. He launched a new
comprehensive master plan for the home campus in St. Louis, paving the way for development
for the next 15-20 years. In March 2012, the new East Academic Building, built to
LEED Gold standards, added 42 new classrooms and planning for a new Interdisciplinary
Sciences Building is un15erway. In addition, Dr. Schuster led the establishment of
Webster’s sixth international campus, and the first on the African continent; Webster
University Ghana opened in 2013-2014. He is committed to sustainable growth and during
his tenure, directed operations to grow the endowment to an all-time high of $118
million.

Prior to coming to Webster, Dr. Schuster served as Founding Dean of the Hamline School
of Business at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. Prior to that, he served in several
capacities at the University of New Haven from 1996 to 2006, including Chair of the
Department of Economics and Finance, Director of the Doctoral Program, Director of
the Executive MBA Program, and Associate Dean and Dean of the School of Business.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Schuster has pioneered global alliances and promoted
strategic investment in academic excellence while maintaining financial vibrancy.

Dr. Schuster received bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from
the University of Belgrade, one of the oldest and largest universities in the western
Balkans. In addition to English and his native Serbian/Croatian, he speaks Russian,
Slovak, Macedonian and Bulgarian and reads in six additional languages. Dr. Schuster
is a graduate of the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (MLE) at
the Harvard Graduate School of Education and completed Harvard’s executive program
in Crisis Leadership in Higher Education. He has had numerous international and domestic
consultancies and has served on the editorial boards of several academic journals.
In St. Louis, he serves on boards including the Faust Park Foundation, the Contemporary
Art Museum, World Affairs Council, Citizens for Modern Transit and The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society’s Gateway Chapter.